The children of a lesser god,
live lives encased in steel,
they sign, but no one sees them,
they cry, but no one hears.
Some are mocked in costume,
some imprisoned as pets,
and many receive viral injections,
as Man observes lethal effects.
Their cages they may rattle,
but all to no avail,
their captors lack compassion,
and none will post their bail.
Their punishment a lifespan,
approaching human years,
Their crime a humanoid form,
with human toddlers their peers.
They feel, they think, they suffer,
for reasons they don't understand,
or was it just fortune's folly,
being born the closest cousin of Man?
They dream of a life unfettered,
of trees and hugs and games,
they'd plead their case if possible,
these symbols of human shame.
How long will their sentence continue,
while behind closed doors they're kept?
Is it any wonder in Olympus's halls,
their benevolent god Pan wept?

*****
Dedicated to the thousands of chimpanzees and non-human primates
imprisoned by humans, exploited, forced to live lives of servitude, and
tortured in laboratories. Many of us weep with you and plead for your
freedom.
For more information, please see:
The Jane Goodall Institute:
http://www.janegoodall.org/
and links from the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute:
http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/chci_links.html
Recommended reading: "Rattling the Cage" by Steven Wise.

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